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#10 Cirkut Camera
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Cirkut cameras are large format rotational panorama cameras capable of photographing a 360 degree view, this differs from conventional panorama cameras that use a wide angle lens and static camera.
They were originaly built for photographing large groups of people, 1000 people is easy and groups as large as 20,000 have been done. Photographers quickly discovered they were perfect for landscape work as well.
They were made between 1904 and 1943 and came in five numbered sizes, for film of 5, 6, 8, 10 and 16 inches in width. There are also two types of cameras, the #5, 10 and 16 were panorama only cameras while the #6 and 8 could be purchased as panorama cameras or "outfits". Outfits are conventional view cameras with a panorama back attachment.
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#6 Cirkut Camera |
The camera rotates on a special tripod which has a large gear on it's edge. The large gear engages a smaller pinion gear screwed into the underside of the camera body. A clockwork motor drives the pinion gear and also the film take up drum, so that as the camera rotates film is pulled past a 7mm wide exposure slit.
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motorised back showing takeup drum left, film spool holder centre and exposure slot right |
underside of rotating tripod head, contruction in 2 pieces, top part rotates and is supported by 6 rollers |
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complete set of gears for a standard lens |
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picture by Bruce Christie |
Cirkut photos are always contact prints.
To make a contact print the negative and photo paper are held in "contact" with each other and a timed light source is turned on to make the exposure. The process is much simpler than making conventional prints but large negatives are required as the finished print is the same size as the negative.
A negative from my camera for an 1100mm long print is equivalent to 5 rolls of 36 exp. 35mm film......that's for one photo! This makes the camera expensive to use, processing and printing costs are high as well.
A Cirkut camera builds up the image as it moves, so once the camera has moved past an object, that object can move into the camera view again and appear in the photo more than once.
A common trick of the past was for people on the end of a group to appear twice in the same photo. Once the camera passed them, they ran behind everyone else and joined in at the other end .....simple!
Shawn McElroy in Atlanta regularly photographs groups with this technique but has gone further and turned it into an artform. His photos have the same people in them 5 or 6 times!
A page from a 1920 catalogue
